How to Survive the Political Game of Musical Chairs

When Illinois Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, announced she was going to run for reelection instead of Governor, it sent a full ripple effect down the ballot, as candidates had spent months jockeying for different offices fully expecting her to run for Governor.

Two Democrats in particular, were most affected by Madigan’s decision: Kwame Raoul and Shelia Simon; both were eyeing a run for Attorney General. Instead they were both left to make hard decisions about their political futures. Here’s an example of when push comes to shove, money can help delegate your next seat in the political game of musical chairs.

Sheila Simon was not going to give up her statewide ambitions and with her already abandoning her position as the 46th Lieutenant Governor, she was left to decide between running for Comptroller and Treasurer.

While both offices had other Democrats eyeing those positions, when looking at the money, the choice was clear for Simon. The path to the Democratic nomination for Comptroller looked strategically easier than to Treasurer. While there were other reasons Simon made this decision, one key reason was money. Duffy Blackburn the Democrat running for Comptroller had only about $25,000 on-hand, Mike Frerichs running for Treasurer had nearly $650,000. It can be said that Simon’s chances for Comptroller were a lot higher since her opposition (Blackburn) had low fundraising support.

Money played a role for both the futures of Frerichs and Blackburn. Frerichs had a built a large war chest which would serve as a firewall to protect him from new challengers. And for Blackburn, it was a demonstrated weakness that Simon was able to take advantage of. Once Simon sat back and looked at the D2’s of her potential primary opponents, it was an easy choice.

Kwame Raoul – Simon’s decision to run for Comptroller was an easy one compared to Raoul. Raoul went on a fundraising tear at the end of June and reportedly raised $462,000 over the previous three-month period. Raoul had the same options as Simon, but apparently has also much more ambition.

State Senator Kwame Raoul. Source: Kwame Raouls’ Facebook page

Raoul is now weighing running for Governor, which is something he will likely announce in the next week. His impressive fundraising haul is playing some role in the buzz surrounding a potential campaign. Even though he raised only half of what Quinn and Daley raised, he was able to raise enough to be taken seriously by the Democratic players in this state.

This game of musical chairs played by the candidates help reinforce something I tell clients all the time, “If you have money then you have options and power.” Simon chose to take on a much financially weaker opponent in Blackburn, and because of Raoul’s fundraising successes he has some real options to consider.